(The Root) — Celebrating Father's Day is still relatively new for Chris Truesdale and his son, Terrell Starr. Starr always knew that his father was out there somewhere, but Truesdale had no idea he had a son until he received a Facebook message back in 2009.

Despite not knowing that he even had a son, Truesdale said that he knew instantly he was Starr's father. “When I saw the picture … oh yeah," he said. “We don't have to go to Maury."

The story goes that by the time Starr's mother knew that she was pregnant, Truesdale had left for the military, and she had no way of getting in contact with him. Now, thanks to the ease of social media, father and son have connected and are making up for lost time.

Growing up without his father wasn't easy; growing up on the mean streets of Detroit raised by a single parent and ailing grandmother provided more than enough obstacles. But Starr navigated them well, evidenced by his two master's degrees and a Fulbright scholarship that led him to study in Ukraine.

"I didn't think I needed a father when I was younger," said Starr, "but I needed one when I was 31 years old."